Recipes we love!







I have finally started to cook more. Thanks to Pinterest, I am able to find a lot of recipes, cook them all at once, and then freeze them for later. Sooo much better than cooking every day :) Especially with living in Mesa where it is March and already it is pretty dang hot! It also helps that I finally bought a new lid for my crock pot :) That device makes life so much easier, we are pretty good friends now. 

Now I just need to find a good way to get laundry to clean itself and magically get put away.......

George Romney Meatballs

Butter (Tbsp) 2 Tbsp
Olive Oil (tbsp) 2 Tbsp
Onion, chopped (cup) 1 Cup
Mushrooms (8oz Can) 1 8oz Can
Beef Consomme (10.5oz Can) 1 10.5oz Can
Sour Cream (cup) 2 Cups
Flour (tbsp) 1.5 Tbsp
Salt (tsp) 1 tsp
Caraway Seed (tsp) 0.5 tsp
Nutmeg (tsp) dash
Egg Noodles (8oz pkg) 1 8oz Pkg
Italian Style Meatballs (12oz pkg) 2 12oz Pkgs
1 Gal Freezer bag
1 Quart Size Freezer

 Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and 
meatballs. Stir in beef consomme and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 
sour cream, flour, salt, caraway seed, and nutmeg. Pour into a quart sized freezer bag. Cool 
meatballs and pour into a labled 1 gallon freezer bag, freeze. To serve, thaw both bags, combine 
and simmer until mixture is warm and sauce thickens. Cook noodles according to package 
directions, serve meatballs over cooked noodles.

((This was a FAVORITE! We really liked this one a lot!))


 http://thisladyshouse.com/content/10-freezer-meals-1-day

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

Italian Sausage (lbs) 1 lb
Onion (cup) 1 Cup
Garlic, minced (tsp) 1 tsp
Beef Broth (48oz Carton) 1 48oz Carton
Water (cup) 0.5 cup
Apple Juice (cup) 0.5 Cup
Diced Tomatoes (14.5oz Can) 1 14.5oz Can
Carrots, chopped (Cup) 1 Cup
Dried Basil Leaves (tsp) 0.5 tsp
Dried Oregano Leaves (tsp) 0.5 tsp
Tomato Sauce (8oz Can) 1 8oz can
Zucchini (cups) 1.5 cups
Fresh Parsley (tbsp) 3 Tbsp
Green Bell Pepper (cup) 0.5 Cup
Cheese Tortellini (16oz Pkg) 1 16oz Pkg
Parmesan Cheese (tbsp) 4 Tbsp
12 Cup Freezer Container

 Brown sausage in a large skillet, remove from skillet. Saute onions and garlic in sausage drippings 
until tender. Add beef broth, water, apple juice, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, 
sausage, zucchini, parsley, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool and 
freeze. To serve, thaw soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Add frozen tortellini and simmer, 
covered, for 10 minutes or until tortellini are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

 http://thisladyshouse.com/content/10-freezer-meals-1-day

Chicken - Wild Rice Soup

Butter (Tbsp) 4 TBSP
Onion, chopped (cup) 1 Cup
Long Grain & Wild Rice (box) 1 box
Chicken, shredded (cup) 2 Cups
Chicken Broth (48oz Carton) 1 48 oz carton
Mushroom Pieces (4oz Can) 1 4oz can
Almonds, sliced (Tbsp) 6 TBSP
Carrots, chopped (Cup) 1 Cup 
Flour (Cup) 0.25 Cup
Half & Half (Pint) 1 Pint
1 gal Freezer bag 1
Cook rice according to package directions. Melt butter in a large pot, add onions and saute. Add 
rice and all other ingredients except flour and half & half. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool and freeze. 
To serve: thaw soup and pour into a large saucepan. Boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Just before 
serving whisk flour with half & half. Add to the soup, heat through until thickened. 

 http://thisladyshouse.com/content/10-freezer-meals-1-day


Tator Tot Casserole

Ground Beef (lbs) 1 lb
Onion (cups) 1 small
Cream of Mushroom Soup (14.5oz Can) 1 Can
Milk (cup) 0.25 Cup
Sour Cream (cup) 1 Cup
Frozen Mixed Veggies (16oz pkg) 1 16oz Package
Cheddar Cheese, shredded (cup) 3 Cups
Tator Tots (medium pkg) 1 medium pkg
9x13 Pan 1
Cook rice according to package directions. Melt butter in a large pot, add onions and saute. Add 
rice and all other ingredients except flour and half & half. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool and freeze. 
To serve: thaw soup and pour into a large saucepan. Boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Just before 
serving whisk flour with half & half. Add to the soup, heat through until thickened. 
Brown beef and onion. In a bowl mix soup, milk, and sour cream. In a 9x13" freezer pan layer 
ingredientsevenly as follows: beef/onions, frozen veggies (break up clumps), soup mixture, 
cheddar cheese, tator tots. Freeze. To serve bake uncovered at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until tator 
tots are brown and casserole is bubbly.

 http://thisladyshouse.com/content/10-freezer-meals-1-day

Taco Soup

Ground Beef (lbs) 1 lb
Black Beans (cans) 1 Can
Kidney Beans (cans) 1 Can
Corn (cans) 1 Can
Taco Seasoning (pkg) 1 Pkg
Dry Ranch Dressing Mix (pkg) 1 Pkg
Onion, chopped (cup) 1 small
Crushed Tomatoes (28oz Can) 1 28oz Can
1 gal Freezer bag
Mix together all ingredients. Simmer for 1-2- hours. Serve or freeze. Garnish with sour cream & 
tortilla Chips

 http://thisladyshouse.com/content/10-freezer-meals-1-day

Lasagna (Charlie's Lasagna from Ree Drummond)

Lasagna Noodles (10oz pkg) 1 10oz Pkg
Ground Beef (lbs) 1.5 lbs
Italian Sausage (lbs) 1 lbs
Garlic, minced (tsp) 2 tsp
Whole Tomatoes (14.5oz Can) 2 14.5oz Cans
Minced Parsley (tbsp) 4
Basil Leaves 10
Salt (tsp) 1 tsp
Cottage Cheese (cup) 3 Cups
Eggs 2
Parmesan Cheese (cup) 1 Cup
Minced Parsley (tbsp 2 TBSP
Mozzarella Cheese, sliced (lbs) 1 lbs
Parmesan Cheese (cup) 0.25
9x13 Pan 1
10 Meal Freezer Plan

 Cook lasagna nodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on aluminum foilor a cookie 
sheet. In a large skillet combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic; brown. Add tomatoes, tomato 
paste, 1/4 cup parsley, basil, and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for 45 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix 
cottage cheese, eggs, 1 cup parmesan, 2 TBSP parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir well. To assemble, 
arrange noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, meat mixture. Repeat, ending with meat. Sprinkle 
with extra parmesan. Freeze. To serve: bake at 350 until bubbly.

 http://thisladyshouse.com/content/10-freezer-meals-1-day



Black Bean Mango Rice Bowl

Author/Source:
Regan @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil #1
  • 0.66 cup brown rice
  • 1.25 cups onions, chopped
  • 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil #2
  • 2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 1.5 cups red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1.5 cups green bell peppers, chopped
  • 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 Tablespoons limes, juice from
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 0.5 teaspoon ginger, ground
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • 0.25 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup mangoes, peeled and chopped
Directions:
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan. While waiting, heat coconut oil #1 in a large saute pan and add uncooked rice, onions, and garlic, stirring as needed until onions are translucent. When vegetable broth reaches a boil, add rice mixture. Cook rice mixture according to the directions on the rice package. While rice is cooking, heat coconut oil #2 in a large saute pan. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Then add red bell peppers, green bell peppers and black beans and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until black beans are soft. Remove from heat. Mix lime juice, honey, ginger, cumin, cilantro, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and then pour into black bean mixture. Allow to cool and stir in mango. Serve vegetable mixture over rice. 
Freezing Directions:
Place rice in 1/2 of indicated number of quart freezer bags. Place vegetables in other 1/2 of indicated number of quart freezer bag. Label and freeze both bags. TO SERVE: Thaw. Heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Serve vegetables over rice.

Skillet Mac & Cheese

Author/Source: Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Lisa@ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb ground beef, browned
  • 0.75 cups onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 0.5 teaspoon pepper
  • 15 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 Tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 0.5 teaspoon oregano
  • 16 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
In a large pan, add ground beef, onion and garlic over medium high heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, then add tomatoes, tomato paste and beef broth.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano.  Bring to a boil, then add macaroni noodles.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Noodles should be just barely al dente.  Add cheese and stir well. 
Freezing Directions:
Follow directions above and allow to cool.  Divide between 2 8×8 foil baking pans.  Cover tightly with foil.  Label and freeze.  To serve: thaw in fridge.  Reheat in oven at 325F for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through. 

Cheeseburger Cauliflower

Author/Source:
Kristi @ Onceamonthmom.com Adapted from Healthy Low Carb Living
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound ground beef substitute
  • 0.67 pounds cauliflower
  • 0.67 cups cheddar cheese
  • 0.33 teaspoons garlic salt
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Steam or boil cauliflower until soft. While cauliflower is cooking, cook “beef” as outlitned in recipe linked above. Add cauliflower, seasonings and cheese. Mix until cheese is melted. See freezing directions.
Freezing Directions:
AFTER cooked, place in gallon freezer bag and freeze. To serve: Thaw. Heat in microwave 1 minute.
Servings: 4


Root Beer Pulled Pork

Author/Source:
Heather @ Onceamonthmom.com, adapted from 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Ingredients:
  • 2 pound pork roast
  • 0.5 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1.25 cups onion, sliced
  • 0.75 cups root beer
  • 0.25 cups ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 0.5 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 Tablespoon flour
Directions:
Sprinkle roast with garlic salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over roast in crock pot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove roast and onions. Shred pork and discard onions. Add roast back to sauce in crock pot. Serve with buns and slaw if desired.
Freezing Directions:
Place all ingredients into freezer bag(s). Label and freeze. To serve: thaw in fridge. Place in crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
Servings: 4

((I kind of changed this one. I got a pork roast and put it in the crock pot with parsley, onions, water, garlic salt, ginger, cumin, and some honey barbecue sauce. Shredded it and then cooked it a little longer with more honey barbecue and some pineapples. Turned out AMAZING!!!)) 



Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

Lisa @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place chicken broth, hashbrowns, salt, pepper, onions and celery into slow cooker and cook on High 4-6 hours. During last hour of cooking, add milk and cheese, stirring to combine.   Garnish with additional cheese and sour cream if desired.
Freezing Directions:
Do not cook before freezing.  Place chicken broth, hashbrowns, salt, pepper, onion, and celery into a gallon sized freezer storage bag, placing the potatoes at the bottom of the bag.  Place milk and cheese in a quart sized freezer storage bag, placing inside the gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.  To serve, thaw.  Place contents of gallon freezer bag into slow cooker and cook on High 4-6 hours. During last hour of cooking, add the milk and cheese , stirring to combine.
Servings: 8

We ate this with butternut squash and a summer salad. It was a REALLY good meal! 





Paleo Shredded Chicken with Summer Veggies

Author/Source:
Christine @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large skillet, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until they begin to caramelize. Add garlic, zucchini, and carrots and cook until tender. Add cherry tomatoes and chicken and cook until warm. Top with parsley.
Freezing Directions:
Add mixture to freezer bag and lay flat to freeze. To serve: Thaw and reheat on stove or in the microwave.
chicken kiev
Chicken Kiev

  • 1  tablespoon
    chopped green onion
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    On Sale
  • 1  tablespoon
    snipped fresh parsley
  • 1  clove
    garlic, minced
  • 1/2  of a 1/4-pound
    stick of butter, chilled
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    On Sale
  • 1 
    egg, beaten
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    On Sale
  • 1  tablespoon
    water
  • 1/4  cup
    all-purpose flour
  • 1/2  cup
    fine dry bread crumbs
  • 4 
    skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
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    On Sale
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1  tablespoon
    butter
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  tablespoon
    cooking oil
directions





































1.
In a small bowl combine green onion, parsley, and garlic; set aside. Cut chilled butter into four 2-1/2x1/2-inch sticks. In a shallow bowl stir together egg and water. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs in a third shallow bowl. Set aside.
2.
Place a chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet pound chicken lightly into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with one-fourth of the green onion mixture. Place a butter piece in center of chicken piece. Fold in sides; roll up. Repeat with remaining chicken.
3.
Coat chicken rolls with flour. Dip in egg mixture; coat with bread crumbs. Dip in egg mixture again; coat with with additional bread crumbs. (Coat ends well to seal in the butter.) Place coated chicken in 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Cover and chill for 1 to 24 hours.
4.
In a large skillet melt the 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat; add oil. Add chilled chicken rolls. Cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning to brown all sides. Place rolls in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree F oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). Spoon any drippings over rolls. Makes 4 servings.

I used mozzarella cheese in the middle instead of butter. 



So funny story about cooking and a real lesson learned! I wanted to make taquitos the other day when my sister in law was in town and I didn't have any green chilis. So I hurried to the store and went to the mexican food aisle and grabbed the first thing that looked like green chilis that i could find and checked out, went home, made the taquitos, took and bite and OH MY GOSH! my mouth and ears and nose and throat were on FIRE! 
Here's what happened, I had picked up jalapeno peppers! instead of the green chilis, made the meal and had to suffer through the goodness and burning of the taquitos. 
Lesson learned- READ LABELS! :) 


So in honor of my "Holy cow, where did that stomach come from!" Diet, You will now be privileged to see my healthy recipes. Stay tuned cuz I am going to be doing my homework and I am betting they will be good :) 
Also, there may be a few from Paige, she is doing this diet with me because we want to go here :) Wish us luck! 
Penne Pasta With Bacon And Cream - Southern Living

Ingredients

15 bacon slices
1 (8oz) package sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz penne pasta, cooked
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions, sliced


Directions



Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet.

Coarsely crumble bacon.

Saute sliced mushrooms and garlic in reserved drippings 3-5 minutes or until tender.
Stir in pasta and next 3 ingredients; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until sauce is thickened.
Stir in bacon and green onions.  Serve hot.



Per serving: Calories 772 (53% from fat); Fat 45.4g (sat 23.3g, mono 15.3g, poly 2.7g); Protein 26.4g; Carb 63.4g; Fiber 2.8g; Chol 146mg; Iron 3mg; Sdium 852mg; Calcium 348mg

This one is compliments of my Aunt Amy too. If you are looking for a healthy meal...this probably isn't the best choice, but if you are looking for something really tasty I'd say "ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Thanks for sharing Amy! 

White Chicken Chili



Ingredients:
3 or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 T. oil
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 medium onion, chopped

2 or 3 cans Great Northern white beans

2 14 oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can chopped green chilies

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper (optional)

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. whipping cream

In a large pot boil chicken breasts for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pot and let them cool so you can shred them. Dump out the water or save it to use as your chicken broth. Put oil in the bottom of the pot and then add the onions and garlic powder. Cook until onions begin to turn translucent. Next add the broth, beans, green chilies, and spices. Add the shredded chicken and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat and add the sour cream and whipping cream right before serving.
~ This one came from Amy, my aunt. Soooooo yummy!!! Great for a cold day and with a cup of cocoa.
 
Taquitos- Chicken or Beef



1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.
Then roll it up as tight as you can.
Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

**subsitiute chicken for shredded beef if you want.
**Add what ever toppings or dip that you want- I like salsa and sourcream. But Queso sounds really good with it right now.
~Recipe from http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/05/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos.html

Stuffed Shells
So so so yummy! I found the recipe on cooks.com but added my own ideas to it because I am so not fond of following recipes very often and if I do follow the recipe, I don't follow it very closely. 
Anyway, tonight I took some JUMBO SHELLS and boiled them like normal noodles
Then I cooked some regular old ground beef.
For the stuffing part I mixed 2 eggs, chedder cheese, quesadilla cheese, motzerella cheese and cottage cheese. I blended them together really well.
In a 9 x 13 pan I spread some tomato sauce and a spoons fulls of cottage cheese.
Then I stuffed the shells and placed them in the pan.
I mixed the rest of the sauce and the meet together and poured it over the shells and lastly I sprinkled more cheese (James REALLY likes cheese).
Then I placed the whole thing in the oven at 350* for about 12 minutes. (enough to cook the egg all the way)
Finally- we ate! and it was delicious! :) 


Super easy recipe for right after a long day at work. And if you make a little more than normal, you have a fantastic lunch for the next day. 


Other ways to try this: add in diced tomatoes; garlic;ricotta cheese; get creative. That's what makes things fun! 


~Enjoy!
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